If You Give a Boy a Lily
by kiah flies kites
Summary: If you give a James a Lily, he'll try his best to woo her. Unfortunately, Lily Evans, Gryffindor Prefect and future Head Girl, is going to try her best to resist. Read about her life from the end of 6th year to the end of 7th and maybe beyond.
1. Making My Way Home

_**A/N:**_ Hello everyone! My name is Kiah and this is my second story on FanFiction! Unfortunately, I deleted the first one because, even though it was good, I felt that I couldn't write it anymore. This one just flows so much better. Please review and tell me what you think (i.e. should I continue or not?)

Disclaimer: Any characters and/or settings that you recognize belong to J.K. Rowling. I will not say this again, so get over it._**

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**_If You Give a Boy a Lily_**

**Chapter One: Making My Way Home**

"I can't believe that sixth year is already over!" Madison Gilbert said. "It seriously seems like it just started last week."

"You're crazy. There's no way it could have started only last week. Too much has gone on. Life's taken its course. Things have changed," Johnny Bellman, a Ravenclaw, retorted. He is one of the only friends that Maddie and I have that isn't in our house. You could probably tell he was gay just by talking to him, although he doesn't have the type of voice one would normally associate with a gay man. His voice is mysteriously calm and deep.

Johnny's hair is cut short; truly what one would call "peach fuzz." It feels like velvet when you touch it. He's my favorite type of brunette, seeing as how he has a little bit of red in his hair. I would be lying if I didn't say that he's a beautiful man. He has high cheekbones and delicate features. His eyes are the deepest chocolate brown and he has beautifully long eyelashes. His skin is the color of hot chocolate with a bit of sugar added. And he takes care of himself. With Johnny, there are never gross socks lying about on his bed, you always feel completely comfortable, and everything is clean. There's no other way to describe it. Everything is completely immaculate.

Madison, on the other hand, is the complete opposite. She's extremely messy, but that is only to be expected of a tomboy. Not that Madison isn't beautiful, it's just not always so apparent; she's the kind of beauty that takes longer to recognize, the kind that seems somewhat hidden. Her hair is midnight black, but it goes perfectly with her bronze skin. I've always thought her skin to be somewhat the color of caramel. Madison is Persian, but obviously one wouldn't know just by hearing her name. Her parents died when she was a baby and since then she's been through a lot. She moved from Iran to England when she was just five years old and was adopted by a nice Wizarding family that possibly couldn't be any paler in comparison.

I've always thought that the trauma she went through somehow made her throw herself into sports. Madison is an amazing Quidditch player. She plays Chaser on the Gryffindor team along with James Potter and Lauren Wright. Sometimes I think that Maddie suffers identity issues and feels like sports and studies are the only things she can control. Well, that, and eating, of course, but Maddie is smarter than to do anything harmful to her body. She needs strong bones for Quidditch and therefore has a healthy appetite. Madison eats just as much as James Potter and the rest of his little gang do, if not more.

"Maddie, I think I'll have to agree with Johnny on that one. Too much stuff has gone on for all of it to be fit into the time capacity of a week," I said.

"Fine, Lily. Join his side! You guys team up against me for everything!"

"Stop being so dramatic," Johnny said.

"Stop bickering you guys. Mads, no one is taking sides. We're just right and that's too much for you to handle, apparently. I'm going to the loo. Try not to destroy each other while I'm gone," I said as I slipped out of the compartment door.

We were only four hours into the train ride, so we had a good long while left. I still had to patrol the corridors with Remus Lupin, my fellow Gryffindor sixth year Prefect. I decided that that could wait, seeing how my bladder was in serious need of attention.

Just my luck, there was a line for the bathroom, a good five people long. I vowed never again to have seven bottles of pumpkin juice in such a short time period. As I stood in line, Sirius Black came up behind me. "Hey Lils. Long wait?" my shaggy-haired, gray-eyed friend asked.

"That depends on your definition of long. Including me but not including the current occupier of the facilities, there are six people before you. Now, let's say each person spends one minute in the bathroom. That's six minutes. But let's increase that time to two minutes, which makes a twelve-minute wait. If each person spent three minutes in the bathroom--"

"Okay, I get your point Einstein. It could range anywhere from six minutes to forty-two minutes to ninety-six minutes, depending upon how long each person takes in the bathroom. I'm not an idiot, you know," Sirius interrupted.

This, I can't exactly argue with. Sirius is extremely funny and very smart. He doesn't always make the best decisions, but he's only seventeen years old as of his birthday last month, so I can't really blame him. Teenage boys are not exactly the most responsible beings, and this statement is only the more true for Sirius and his band of miscreants that call themselves the Marauders. They swagger about terrorizing people in a fun and slightly amusing way, but it occasionally gets out of hand. An incident in fifth year comes to mind where I defended Severus Snape against them, but it ended badly and ever since then when the Marauders are torturing Snape, I look the other way.

Sirius and I chatted for a bit longer until it was my turn for the loo. My wait ended up being about fifteen minutes and I was positively dying by the time I entered the lavatory. I stepped into the room, did my business, washed my hands, and then looked up at myself in the mirror.

I've always thought of myself as fairly attractive, but I've always been told I was a genuine beauty. I'm not the type to be vain and it's rare that I believe comments such as those. Sure, boys give me attention, but not many of the ones that I actually like. Part of this, I suppose is due to James Potter. Maddie says that James really, truly likes me, but I think that it's more that he's up for a challenge. I'm the only girl that's never succumbed to his "charm." Even Maddie has gone out with him and Johnny thinks that he's something of a fox. I can't help but think that Johnny is more partial to Sirius, though. I'm pretty sure that Sirius doesn't swing that way, but the world is full of surprises.

Sirius pounded on the door and I was jolted out of my musings. "Your six minutes are up, Lilykins!" I dried my hands and exited the bathroom, giving Sirius a pat as I passed. Then it was time to head back to my compartment.

"No, I think that Billy is definitely hotter. I mean, he sings lead vocals _and_ plays the guitar. How much sexier can you get than that?" Johnny was saying.

"Drums are sexier. I mean, if a guy can bang a set of drums like _that_ using just some drumsticks, then imagine what he's like in the sack!" Maddie said.

"Well, you do have a good argument there. And Will is pretty attractive. Well, now. I'm just going to have to rethink my whole band member sexiness rating… Lily! You're finally back! Took you long enough."

"There was a long line."

"Well Johnny-Boy and I were just discussing the sexiness of the band members of Abra Cadaver," Madison said. Abra Cadaver is the most popular band in the Wizarding world right now. They play some pretty sinister-yet-fun music to go along with their sinister-yet-fun name. All of the members, Billy, Will, Jason, and Patrick, are Muggle-born, which explains the whole "Abra Kadabra" type thing. I quite like them myself, so I joined in on the conversation.

"I think Patrick is a fox," I said. They looked slightly confused because, although he was attractive, Patrick wasn't considered the cutest one of the group. "Well, playing keyboard is pretty damn hard. Besides, I play the piano and I know how hard it is to learn and come up with notes and stuff like that. Besides, his hair is just fabulous. It's just the shade of red that I wish mine was."

"I love your hair, Lils!" Johnny said. "It's gorgeous. Like…like… I don't know. It's just very pretty. And it looks delicious with your beautiful emerald-green eyes."

My hair is somewhere between auburn and strawberry blonde. Patrick has auburn hair and I desperately wish my hair was that color. I tried to charm it once, but the charm didn't last and it would just be too much of a hassle to have to do that all the time. I'd rather just leave my hair the way it is.

However much I hate my hair, I love my eyes. I've always thought that eyes were windows to the soul and my eyes always seem very open. I'm a very open person. If I have a problem with you, I'll tell you. If something's bothering me, I'll usually vent about it. I don't believe in writing my emotions down because it's too risky. Anyone could just walk up to your dorm and find your diary or journal or whatever it is and steal it and read it. Besides, if you write something in your diary that you haven't told your friends, it'd be like keeping secrets from them. I'm not the type that keeps things from my friends. Oh, don't get me wrong  I'm very loyal. I keep other people's secrets, but my life at this point is very open, so I have no reason for secrets.

The three of us continued debating who was hotter in Abra Cadaver until I realized that it had been an hour since I had left for the bathroom. It was time for me to patrol the train with Remus.

"I still stand by my drums theory," Madison was saying.

"That's a very good point, but I just love guitars. They're so…hot," Johnny replied.

"I'm going to find Remus for Prefect duty. See you later, guys."

"Bye, Lily!" they both chorused and then promptly began talking about their plans for summer.

I left the compartment once more and went to find Remus who would no doubt be with his three best friends, James Potter, Sirius Black, and Peter Pettigrew.

I searched thirteen compartments before I finally found them. I knew they were there before I even approached on the door on account of how loud they were being. I heard a small explosion, laughter, some snores, and a soft groan as I stood at the door. My guess was that they were playing Exploding Snap.

I knocked on the door and it slid open as thought it was touch-activated. My hypothesis had been correct: James and Sirius were playing Exploding Snap, Peter was sleeping, and Remus was sitting on his cushion quietly reading a magazine and groaning whenever James and Sirius burst out in peals of laughter.

"Hey Remus, Sirius, Potter," I said as I entered the compartment and slid the door shut behind me. I was greeted with replies of "Hullo, Lily," "What's shakin'?" and "Hi, Evans."

"Remus, do you think now's a good time to start patrolling? I didn't see any prefects in the hall on my way up here," I said.

"Sure, Lils. Just let me put this away." Remus got up and stuffed his magazine into his bag. He then stretched and made his way over to me. I gave him a hug and we began chatting on our way out.

Remus Lupin is an interesting character. He and I had been friends since our second year when I learned that he wasn't as horrible as I believed the rest of the Marauders to be. Remus is smart and slightly introverted, but mischievous all the same. He wouldn't be a Marauder if he weren't. He's what I would call good-looking, but nowhere near as cute as Sirius, or (however much I hate to admit it) James. It's not hard to imagine that I had a crush on him for that short period of time during fifth year. We even went out on a few dates, but everything ended when Remus said he felt disloyal to James and things couldn't continue. I completely understood and things stayed good between us. Now, here we are, sixth year Prefects for Gryffindor house, working as well together as anyone you've ever seen.

I knew all about Remus' ailment. He finally came out and told me he was a werewolf during Christmas break of this year, but I had known for a while before that. It wasn't that hard to figure out really. Remus is a good liar, but if you've known him as long as I've known him, then you learn to know when he's lying and when he's not. He always seemed to have the same excuses. He has a headache, he was nauseous, his mother was sick, his grandfather was ill, et cetera, et cetera. It all just added up one day, how he was always missing around the same time every month and how his excuses always seemed somewhat paper-thin.

So Remus and I patrolled the corridors of the train and talked up a storm about our summer plans. "I'm going to be working in that little coffee shop in Diagon Alley," I told him.

"Really? That's pretty amazing because I'm going to be working in Flourish and Blott's! We'll get to see each other all the time!" Remus said.

"Wow. How come you didn't tell me before?"

"Oh, I just found out they hired me yesterday," he said. "It's really a perfect situation because I'll be getting free books for my courses next year. That should save me some money for other things."

"That's great! All I get is free coffee. I'll probably be hopped up on caffeine whenever I see you. If I do something crazy, just know it's the coffee's fault, not mine."

We finished patrolling the corridors about an hour later. I walked him back to his corridor and said goodbye to him, Sirius, James, and the now-awake Peter. I was about to turn away when James got up and said, "Hey, Evans? Can we talk outside for a second?"

Ordinarily I would have said no, but because Remus and Sirius were making eyes at me and had on somewhat pleading looks, I complied. James closed the door and followed me into the hallway.

"I was kind of wondering…if maybe…well…" he started.

"Yeah?"

"Are you and Remus seeing each other?"

I snorted. "No! Why would you think that?"

"Oh, no reason, really," he said, relief flooding his eyes. "Do you think…that maybe…you'd like to go out with me sometime this summer?"

"Potter, we've been over this before. No, I will not go out with you."

He looked crestfallen. I immediately felt bad for being so harsh with him. "But I thought you said you didn't hate me anymore. Remember the last time we talked in the Three Broomsticks at Hogsmeade?"

"Yeah, I remember." It all flooded back to me now. At our last Hogsmeade trip, just weeks before, Madison had ditched me for her boyfriend, Lenny, and Johnny was tragically sick. I had only come to Hogsmeade to buy some last-minute gifts for my parents because they adored things from the Wizarding world. I fully intended to be there for an hour at most and then go back to Hogwarts, get some soup from the kitchens, and tend to Johnny who was currently holed up in his room in the Ravenclaw sixth year boy's dorms.

I decided to stop for some butterbeer at the Three Broomsticks because the stash that Maddie and I had had run out so I felt that buying some more for the few weeks ahead would be appropriate.

I had bought my drinks and was about to exit the building when I passed Potter and he asked me to sit down. I told him that I only had a minute because Johnny really was very ill and needed my help.

"Why do you hate me?" James had asked.

I was caught a little off-guard but I answered his question as truthfully as possible. "I don't _hate you_ as you so kindly put it. Granted, I used to, but I don't anymore. I know about Remus and how loyal you must be to be friends with him under all of that pressure. You're smart, you can be amusing on occasion, and your eyes are pretty. In other words, you have a few good qualities."

"So why do you dislike me so much?" He asked.

"You should know the answer to this question by now, Potter. But, since apparently you still have no idea, I'll have to tell you again. I suggest you write it down this time." I was joking, but he actually took me seriously and took a scrap piece of parchment and a quill out from the deep pockets of his robes.

"Okay, I'm ready."

"You're arrogant, you're big-headed, you bully people, you get good grades without even taking the initiative to study, you go around acting as though you own the school, you talk to me in a demeaning way, and you're something of a womanizer," I listed.

"Wow. I had no idea there was so much stuff," he mused.

"Oh, and you're always showing off and you run your hand through your hair to make it look as though you've just gotten off of a broomstick, which I find highly annoying."  
He continued scribbling out what I had said on the parchment. "Okay. Thanks!"

I bid him goodbye and then left Hogsmeade to tend to Johnny.

Back in the present time, James was looking at me thoughtfully. "So you remember?"

"Yeah. I remember it perfectly," I replied.

"Well, haven't you noticed how much I've changed in the past three weeks since that Hogsmeade visit?" He asked.

"James, no one can change that much in just three weeks."

"You called me James."

"Nice way to be observant."

"And I _did_ change that much in three weeks!"

"I'll have to see it to believe it," I said and with that, I said goodbye and went back to my compartment for the rest of the train ride. When the train finally stopped at King's Cross, Johnny, Maddie, and I said our goodbyes and parted ways. Before I crossed through the barrier, I scanned the crowd and the last person's face that I saw was James Potter. He saw me to and raised his hand to wave goodbye. I smiled at him and crossed over, hoping that, considering how I am Muggle-born and live in Surrey and he is a pureblood and lives somewhere, most likely in a large house that's not in Surrey, I wouldn't see him for a while.


	2. The Summer Holidays

**(A/N:** Okay, here's the second chapter! I still haven't really decidedto continue it or not because I haven't exactly gotten a ton of reviews from the last chapter. I'm hoping to get more for this one. I love you guys and thanks so much! Happy reading!

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**_If You Give a Boy a Lily_**

**Chapter Two: The Summer Holidays: Part One**

"Hello. My name is Lily. What can I get for you?" I said, trying to be cheerful. Today was exceptionally dismal. It was cloudy and it seemed as though it would rain any minute. My only consolation, or so it felt, was that I was not at home being bothered by my older sister, Petunia. It was now the middle of the summer holidays and it helped me to think that it could only get better from here. Only a month more until I go back to Hogwarts, my second home.

"Um, yes. I'll take a Witch's Espresso to go, please. Do you think you could add a touch of butterbeer in there as well?" the witch in front of me asked.

"Of course. That will be two Sickles and three Knuts. Your coffee should be ready in a few minutes," I replied. I relayed her order to Lucas Bonfrey, my co-worker of about nineteen who made the coffee. My boss, Mr. Nigel Thorsby, has this thing about authenticity. He has a policy that all coffee made in his shop must be made the Muggle way because anyone can just say an incantation and have coffee pour out of their wand. He loves Muggles and everything to do with them.

It's not that working at the coffeehouse isn't fun; it's just that Mr. Thorsby is also something of a pervert. He likes to make comments about what he's done with his latest girlfriend over the weekend and mentions it over and over and over again until the next weekend comes and he can talk about their latest sexual adventure. It's absolutely disgusting. I have a feeling that Johnny would have a good laugh out of it, though.

Just as Mr. Thorsby came through the door that leads to the back room where he sits and smokes his cigarettes, drinks his butterbeer, and tinkers with his rubber ducks and flashlights, rain began to pour from the sky as if right on cue.

"Miss Evans!" he boomed. "How's business going?"

"It's fine, Mr. Thorsby."

"Have I told you about my weekend yet, Miss Evans?"

"Yes, Mr. Thorsby."

"No? Well, then I must! My girlfriend, Patty, and I… Oh, you remember Patty, don't you?"

"Yes, Mr. Thorsby."

"Yes, well we went to a club this weekend. It was a Muggle club. I've never been to a Muggle club before. It was amazing…really intriguing. They had disco lights set up everywhere and all of the people were scantily clad…it was just so…_sexy_. Patty started dancing with another man and afterwards she told me all about it and--"

"That's nice Mr. Thorsby. We have some customers, so perhaps I can finish listening to you a bit later."

"Oh, good show, Evans. Right-o. I'll just be in the back for a bit."

The woman for whom Lucas was making coffee looked positively horrified at Mr. Thorsby's monologue. He really doesn't seem to know when the right time for conversations like that are, which I would think is **never**. Lucas, who was chuckling, handed the poor woman her coffee and she ducked out into the rain, conjuring an umbrella in order to exit the shop as quickly as possible.

The shop was nearly empty after that, so Lucas and I burst out into peals of laughter. We hushed up quickly so Mr. Thorsby wouldn't hear and come out to see what we were laughing at and then begin telling his disastrous story all over again.

"Oh, thank God it's Friday," I said to Lucas.

"I agree. I don't think I can take much more of the disco dancing story. So… Lily…do you have any plans for this weekend?" he asked.

"Yeah, my friends Johnny and Maddie are supposed to come over and spend the weekend. Hopefully Petunia will spontaneously combust so we won't have to deal with her."

I had been working with Lucas for quite some time now, so we were quickly becoming friends and he knew all about Petunia, my parents, and my friends. Lucas has just graduated Hogwarts the past year, but I had never known he was there. He used to be in Hufflepuff, but he was unlike most of the Hufflepuffs I had ever known. Though I don't know many personally, I have had exposure to them, courtesy of Sirius Black. He's dated his fair share of Hufflepuffs, supposedly because they were so easy, and every single one of them had been blonde, leggy, and highly disappointed when he dumped them for someone else.

Though Lucas _is_ blonde, he is not unintelligent like the girls that Sirius had dated. He seemed to be very smart and talented. He has smoky blue eyes and a light sprinkling of freckles across his face. He's a bit on the short side, which is not exactly the best for me since I clock in at five feet seven inches. I would say that Lucas is on the cuter side of normal, but not extremely good-looking. All in all, he just isn't my type and I'm not looking for a boyfriend right now. That's what made it easier for me to turn him down the first time he asked me out. That had been about two weeks into the summer, but now he was just getting more and more persistent with his requests, not unlike how James Potter was a year ago.

I began to see the signs of when Lucas was going to ask me out. He'd get slightly shyer and ask me what I was doing some day or other. I figured out that a simple "No, I'm just not interested" wasn't going to work with him. I saw that I had to lie.

Of course Johnny and Madison aren't really coming over this weekend. Johnny is in Aruba with his family and Maddie is grounded for sneaking out to a Wizarding club with Lenny.

I'm going to have to spend my entire weekend alone with Petunia. Perfect.

"I'm going to take my break. Think you can handle the rush without me?" I asked Lucas.

He looked around the nearly empty shop and said, "Yeah, I think I'll be able to manage." Lucas offered to conjure me an umbrella, but I enjoy the rain, so I refused.

I took my apron off and put it on the coat rack then headed out the door for Flourish and Blott's. I knew Remus would be on duty since it wasn't yet lunchtime and he didn't usually take his breaks until after he ate.

As I entered the shop, hair dripping, the sound of silence filled my ears. It was a marvelous transformation from what I had been through all morning. I looked toward the counter and spotted Remus reading a book entitled, _When Good Wizards Go Bad_. "Interesting read?" I asked.

"Oh yes. I'm on the part about Grindelwald and Dumbledore right now, actually. Lily, you're soaked."

"Yeah, I know. It's no big deal. I remember learning about that in History of Magic. Has anything new come in since yesterday?" I asked him.

"Not unless you count trashy romance novels by Lucinda Warhol," he replied.

To be perfectly honest, I love Lucinda Warhol. The only people who know I read her books are Johnny and Maddie, though. Madison never lets it rest and constantly makes fun of me, but Johnny reads them along with me. He's right there with me when I get to a particularly juicy part and when we're done reading it, he sits there and moans with me about how there aren't any wonderfully heroic men like that in the real world.

"Well, if that's all then I suppose I'll just have to come back tomorrow. What time is it?" I asked Remus.

"Eleven forty-three. Are you sure you're not cold, because I can get you a towel or something." Remus, like me, was still sixteen and wouldn't be turning seventeen until the next month, only days before me.

"Trust me, I'm fine. Want me to wait here for you so we can go eat lunch together?"

"Um, actually, I think I may be eating lunch with"

Just then, Sirius, James, and Peter came through the door and disturbed the wonderful silence. All three of them were dry, most likely because Sirius probably put a water-repelling spell on them. They sauntered up to the counter where Remus and I were talking and Sirius threw his arms around me and shouted, "Lilykins! Oh, God. You're dripping."

"Sirius, there are people in here trying to read. Keep it down!" Remus hissed.

"Oh. Sorry," he said. "Lilykins!" he whisper-shouted. And then he proceeded to take out his wand and dry me.

"Thanks and hello to you too, Sirius," I said. "Hi James, Peter."

"Hey, Lily," James said. It's not the first time he's called me by my first name, but it was the first time I didn't reprimand him for doing so. I figured it was a nice day and that yelling at him for calling me Lily, which was in a fact a perfectly fine thing for him to do, would be mean and imply that I hated him and I simply did not want to have the "why do you hate me" conversation over again. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm buying an octopus," I said, keeping a perfectly straight face. Sirius cracked up. "What do you think I'm doing? I'm talking to Remus."

"We're going for lunch with him," Peter said.

"Yeah, I was just telling her that," Remus clarified. He then looked at me. "Do you think you want to come? We'll probably go to Fortescue's afterward."

I didn't want to be mean and there was always the possibility that if I didn't accept I'd have to eat with Lucas, which at that point seemed worse than eating with James. "Sure. Why not?"

James looked what I can only describe as euphoric. The five of us stayed there talking about nothing for fifteen minutes and then Remus took his lunch break and we all left the shop.

We stopped at the Leaky Cauldron for some fish and chips and then made our way to Florean's for ice cream. We sat in a booth and I was squished between Sirius and Peter whilst facing James and Remus. The waitress came and took our orders. I ordered butter cream, James ordered butter pecan, Sirius ordered orange sherbet, Remus ordered mint chocolate chip, and Peter ordered strawberry shortcake and chunky monkey. I really don't understand how he can eat so much. He had a gigantic lunch at the Leaky Cauldron and now two bowls of ice cream? How does he do it?

"Pete is like a human garbage disposal," Sirius said, as if he was reading my mind.

Peter is the shortest of the Marauders. He isn't exactly bad looking, but he isn't all that attractive either. He has sandy blonde hair and is only three inches taller than me, so he doesn't exactly fill my height requirement. His skin is kind of pasty and he has a bit of fat on him that was semi-well distributed because of his height. If he were any shorter, I would think that Peter would be a bit chunky. Peter doesn't play sports. He doesn't do anything, really. He's quite good at Divination and Herbology, but isn't that great at any of the other subjects. I always see his friends helping him with his homework in the common room at Hogwarts. His eyes are what I can only describe as watery gray that varies to muddy brown. He looks like he might be the type that could spontaneously start crying.

"So how are your summers going?" I asked the three boys that I hadn't seen every day so far that summer.

I got mutters of "fine" and "okay" when Sirius jumped in and just began talking. "Oh! Mine is great. Ditching my family to live with the Potters is the best decision I ever made!"

"Yeah, I remember you telling me about that at the beginning of last year," I said.

"His parents love me."

"Yeah, I think they love you a little more than they love me, mate. It's kind of sad," James said while Peter just sat there nodding and stuffing strawberry shortcake ice cream into his mouth.

I looked at James. "Care to explain?"

"My mum makes him pancakes every freaking morning. She stopped making me pancakes years ago. And she won't even let the house elves do it. SHE has to do it. Sparky just gives me a plate of toast and a jar or jam and scrambles off. So I'm sitting there putting jam on my toast while Padfoot is pouring marmalade all over his gigantic stack of pancakes." He turned to Sirius. "She really is in love with you, mate. She calls you her 'second son' and everything. It's crazy."

"Kat always has had something of a soft spot for me, yeah?" Sirius mused. "I'm surprised she hasn't forgotten all about you by now."

"Yeah…" James said as he slid down in his seat.

Peter then progressed to tell us about how he was being made to take piano lessons ten hours a week. "That must be hell," I said.

"Oh, trust me. It is."

Not soon after, we left and all departed ways. I headed back to the coffee shop, Remus went back to Flourish and Blott's, and I'm assuming that James, Sirius, and Peter went back home because I didn't see them for the rest of the day.

When I got back, Lucas and Mr. Thorsby were still out to lunch. I love sitting in the coffee shop by myself. It has a wonderfully cozy atmosphere. There are armchairs all over the place and charming lamps and trinkets. It's just like a Muggle one where all of the people who like to write poetry would go. I decided to sit in one of the chairs and read a book I had nabbed from a bookstore by my house in Surrey. It was a trashy romance novel called _Love and War_. A brunette woman was standing on a boat in the middle of a wave-ravished ocean in the arms of a beautiful man. I looked at the clock and saw that there was still about twenty minutes until the shop would open up again, so I began reading.

_"Lorna!" Sebastian called, his tawny locks swaying in the wind. "Come back! You could die in the harsh streets of England!"_

_"Never!" Lorna called. She whipped her head to look at Sebastian one last time before she took off running down the dock. The only thought in her head was that she had to get away from the awful sailors. "Even if that means leaving my beloved Sebastian," she said aloud._

_Lorna ran until she was out of breath in a back alley. She caught her breath and went inside a pub where she ordered mint tea. Just as she began to take her first sip, a highly attractive man of about twenty-two came up and sat behind her. "Is this seat taken, miss?"_

_"It is now."_

_"Oh, what a clever one you are," the man mused. "My name is Xavier."_

_"Charmed. I'm Lorna."_

_"Well, Miss Lorna, would you mind accompanying me to the shop across the street?" Lorna had her doubts about the man, but he was roguishly handsome and charming, so she agreed to go with him._

_As soon as they left the shop, however, Xavier grabbed Lorna around the waist and dragged her into the same alleyway she'd be in before. He proceeded to rip her clothes from her body and was working on her bodice when someone came up behind him and punched him in the face, putting him in a daze._

_The two men began a tussle that lasted for several minutes until Xavier was knocked out. The man then came towards Lorna. "Lorna! I'm so glad I found you in time!" he said._

_"Sebastian?"_

_"Yes, it's me. When you left I was about to follow you when one of my shipmates told me there was a plan for you to be kidnapped. I then raced through the streets to find you as quick as I could."_

_"You did?"_

_"Yes, Lorna. I love you so much, I would die if anything happened to you."_

_"Really? Sebastian!" Lorna cried, kissing him all over. The two soon engaged in a passionate embrace._

"Lily, are you really reading this rubbish?" a voice over my shoulder said. I immediately jumped from the shock. I turned around.

"Lucas, how long have you been reading over my shoulder?"

"Long enough to know that it's utter trash."

"It is not! Romance novels are perfectly respectable. If you read them, you would know."

"I'm sure. Come on, we need to get back to work and open the shop for the rush."

Lucas and I unlocked the front door and set up everything that was needed for that afternoon. The day went by quickly from there, Lucas teasing me occasionally about my choice of literature and Mr. Thorsby coming out to recap his weekend and tell us his plans for the weekend coming up.

Finally it was six o' clock and time for me to head home. I headed over to Flourish and Blott's so that Remus and I could walk to the Leaky Cauldron together. I had to go through The Leaky Cauldron and take a cab back home whereas he could just floo.

"Hey Remus. Did much happen after lunch?" I asked.

"Nothing interesting, if that's what you mean. Speaking of interesting, how's your weekend looking?"

"Dismal. Maddie and Johnny are still unavailable so I'm going to be spending a whole lot of time with Petunia and her new idiot boyfriend Vernon."

"That's unfortunate. You can always come to my house if things get too bad, Lils."

"Thanks, Remus. I just might take you up on that offer."

By then, we had reached the Leaky Cauldron and Remus and I parted ways once more. The bartender, Tom, helped me hail down a cab and I made my way home.

As soon as I got there my mother came up and hugged me. "Mum, you're squishing my lungs," I said, using as much breath as I could muster.

"I know," she said as she squeezed me tighter. She finally let go after about five minutes. "Petunia should be home soon."

I went upstairs to and change from my work clothes and found an owl waiting for me on my desk. The owl was brown with gold flecks in her wings. Her eyes were a beautiful shade of hazel. "How long have you been here, little buddy? Let me get you something to drink." The owl hooted as if that were a good idea so I went to the bathroom and filled a paper cup with water.

When I brought it back, the owl chortled with pleasure and began to drink heartily from the cup. When she was done, I asked, "Do you have something for me?"

She hooted again and stuck out her leg. I gingerly untied the package from it and found it to be a letter from Hogwarts along with another letter from Maddie.

I opened Maddie's first.

**Lily,**

**Well, here I am, stuck inside my house being bored out of my mind while you're probably having fun at your coffee shop job. This is just not fair at all. And I miss you, Johnny, and Lenny. I have a feeling that Lenny may dump me soon, and that just makes me even more depressed. I used to get owls from him daily, but now I only get them twice a week and they're becoming more and more vague. I think he's disappointed that I'm grounded and I can't hang out (or more like MAKE OUT) with him.**

**This is just great. You get to go gallivanting off with Remus Lupin while my only company is my cat, Theodora, who hates me.**

**I can't even go outside and ride my broom. What kind of crap is this?**

**I got my Hogwarts letter today. Nothing special. I've been made a Prefect, though, so that means that someone from our house was either made un-Prefect or a head. Wonder who that could be?**

**Note that sarcasm, Lils. I'm sure you made Head Girl. You're smarter than anyone!**

**I'll be un-grounded in a week and a half. Expect daily letters to stave off my boredom.**

**Madison**

The second letter was a bit heavier that normal, but I disregarded that and just opened it.

**Miss Evans,**

**As you know, Hogwarts will be starting on September First. Your school supplies list is enclosed.**

**I have a very important piece of information for you, and this comes with great responsibility. You have been chosen by Professor Dumbledore, myself, and the other members on the teaching staff to be Head Girl.**

**Your marks are outstanding and you were clearly the best choice for the job. Congratulations and good luck.**

**Minerva McGonagall**

**Deputy Headmistress**

As soon as I finished reading the letter, I freaked out. I reached inside the envelope for more, and my hand met with a hard, shiny, silver badge that clearly read _Head Girl_ on it in gold letters.

I immediately ran downstairs to tell my parents.

"Oh, Lily! We're so happy for you!" my father cried.

"Yes, dear! This is just splendid. I think this calls for a special occasion. Let's go out for dinner!" my mother said.

"Yes, this calls for a reward. You have worked so hard, honey."

Just then, Petunia burst in through the front door. "Sorry I'm late!" she called out. "I was out with Vern" She cut off as soon as she saw me. "What's going on here? Why aren't you at that filthy little job of yours?"

"I work at a coffee shop, Petunia, and it's no different from that horrible department store that you work at."

"It's completely different. FREAKS don't shop at my department store." I had taken verbal abuse from Petunia many times before and I hardly ever let it faze me anymore.

"Now Petunia, honey! That's not nice. Apologize to your little sister," my father said.

"Fine. Sorry." Then, under her breath so that no one but me could hear, "Freak."

"You're just jealous that I got Head Girl," I told her. Her face went from an expression of annoyance to one of utter shock.

"YOU made Head Girl?"

"Yeah. What of it?"

"Nothing. Never mind."

"Girls, that's enough," Mum said. "Let's get ready to go out."

Petunia and I went upstairs to change into some nice clothes for dinner. When we came back down, Mum and Dad had already started the car and so we went outside.

When we go to the restaurant, the hostess seated us.

We got our food and began dinner with civilized conversation. Mum and Dad asked me how my work was going. They also congratulated me many times for my achievement of becoming the new Head Girl.

"Petunia, don't you think it's wonderful? You haven't said anything to congratulate Lily all night. I'm sure she wants to hear it," my mother said.

"I don't get what's so special about it. Who'd want to be Head Girl at a school for freaks anyway?"

That one was the one that got me. I felt my eyes tearing up and excused myself from the table. I ran outside and locked myself in the car and started crying and making excuses for Petunia's behavior.

"Oh, who am I kidding? She's a sour bitch and she'll be like that for the rest of her life. There's no use making excuses anymore," I said aloud. I began to suck it up, but then I heard a soft banging noise on the window. I looked up and Petunia was there, an evil sneer on her face.

"Let me in!" she said. I unlocked the back door of the car and she climbed in the back seat. "Mum's making me apologize, so here it is. I'm sorry that you're a freak and that you go to a school for freaks and that now you're pretty much the Head Freak."

"Petunia just shut your face. I don't need this right now. Let's just pretend we've made up and go back inside and eat like normal, non-feuding sisters, okay?"

"If we must."

So Petunia and I made to get out of the car and go back into the restaurant. We all finished our meals with no more verbal fights, and then we went outside and piled into the car.

We were halfway home, non-pleasantly talking about Petunia's new boyfriend, when I felt compelled to make a remark to get back at Petunia for her antics from earlier that night.

"Well, Pet, truthfully, I'm happy for you. I mean, you may never get another boyfriend again, so it's great that this Vernon character is so 'wonderful,' or whatever. Though I don't exactly know hoe wonderful he could be since he's obviously really thick for wanting to take you out."

"Lily! I can't believe you just said that. Be nicer to your sister!" Mum said.

"Shut up, you little freak! I could so get a boyfriend if I wanted to. I just happened to pick Vernon. Besides, it's not as though you have anyone to speak for you," Petunia countered.

"Like you would even know, Petunia. You know nothing about me or the boys I have or anything!" I said, which is not entirely untrue. I haven't had any boys as of late, but James Potter WAS slightly obsessed with me, and that has to count for **something**.

"At least Vernon is normal. I wouldn't want some freak boy after me anyway!"

My father turned around behind the wheel. "Girls, your mother told you to stop arguing. Now I suggest you listen to--"

His words were suddenly cut off by the sound of broken glass, crunching metal, and screams from my mother and Petunia.

My head hit against my father's headrest as I was flung forward. I must have blacked out because I woke up a few minutes later by Petunia, who was shaking me.

"Lily! Wake up NOW!" she screamed. I opened my eyes and could see tears running down her face.

"What? What happened?" I cried.

"Mum and Daddy are--" her words were cut off by loud, racking sobs. She pointed towards the front of the car and I looked, my head suddenly flooded by memories from just moments before.

I looked towards the front of the car and I saw my parents bodies, mangled beyond belief. My father's airbag had blown up and his arm was pinned to his side by the metal of his door. Shards of glass were jutting from his arms and skull. He was bleeding profusely.

My mother, on the other hand, was slumped forward. There was a giant crack in the windshield from where she had made impact. Her whole head was covered in blood and both of her legs were obviously broken.

"Are they…?" I asked Petunia.

"I think so. I shook Daddy, and he felt really heavy. Look at all of the blood, Lily! HOW COULD THIS HAPPEN?" she cried. "It's all your fault! You just had to argue and make him turn around to scold us! None of this would have happened if it weren't for you!"

I felt the impact of Petunia's words and put my face in my hands, only to come up with them covered in blood from my scalp. "Oh, my God."

Petunia climbed from the car and joined the ever-growing crowd around our car and the car that had hit us. Or maybe it was the car that we had hit. I couldn't be sure. As

I climbed out of the mangled car I heard sirens coming towards us.

As soon as I hit the pavement, I broke down. My eyes flooded with tears and my knees gave beneath me. I fell to the ground in a heap of sorrow.


	3. The Crash's Aftermath

**(A/N:** Hey everyone! I know this is kind of short, but I feel as though it's a really important chapter and adding anything else to it would detract from it's relevance. I know that this is getting to be really dramatic, but I promise that I'll get to the humor soon! And as always, I'd like to know wether or not people are actually reading this, so reviews are greatly appreciated._**

* * *

**_

**_If You Give a Boy a Lily_**

**Chapter Three: The Crash's Aftermath**

As I was rowed into the hospital on a stretcher, a wave of that sterile, stuffy hospital smell hit me, making me want to hurl. After the ambulance came the nurses and hospital officials were convinced that I had a concussion. Petunia had gotten away with a broken arm and was on her way to my father's bedside. The hospital had taken my mother in with them, but they had yet to tell me what was going on with her. It seemed as though my father had escaped the car without any broken bones, but several deep cuts and punctures.

The nurse that was helping me wheeled me into a room so the doctor could look at me. She left and I sat on the bed, waiting for the doctor to arrive.

"Miss Evans? I hear that you got in a nasty car crash. My name is Dr. Moreno," the doctor said as soon as she entered the room. She had brown hair, brown eyes, and extremely tan skin. Her rich Spanish accent was beautiful and it seemed velvety smooth, as though it was invented to make people feel better.

"You heard right. Are my parents alright?"

"Well, your sister is." I could hardly tell Dr. Moreno that I couldn't care less about Petunia's physical state. She probably could have died for all I care right now. "I can't exactly say about your parents, and even if I could, I don't think right now would be the best time since you're most likely concussed."

"So if you don't know about my parents, who does?"

"The doctor who's working on them, of course. Now lay back so I can check your head."

I complied, figuring that the sooner I did what she wanted, the sooner I would be out of here and could see my parents. Dr. Moreno checked and made sure everything was all right.

"You do have a slight concussion. I'll need you to take these pills. They'll assuage the pain and help to keep you conscious. Take them twice a day, everyday, after breakfast and before supper until they run out. By then you should be okay."

"Whatever you day, doctor. Can I go now?"

"I'd rather you stay here, but I can see how anxious you are to see your family," Dr. Moreno said.

"Thanks." I practically bolted out of the room and ran to the reception desk. "What rooms are Mr. and Mrs. Richard Evans in?" I asked the receptionist.

"Mr. Evans is in room C-119. I can't find a room for Mrs. Evans. She may have been released earlier."

That really confused me because I don't see how they could release Mum when she had what looked like two severely broken legs and a bleeding scalp. Nonetheless, I ran up to the third floor to room C-119. "Dad!" I yelled as soon as I burst the door open.

"Shut up, you little twit. The doctor said he's not doing so well. He needs rest," Petunia said. She looked close to tears. "Have you been to see Mum?"

"No…the receptionist said that she hadn't been assigned a room. She said that she was probably released. You haven't seen her since the ambulance?" I asked.

"No! I thought you would have seen her. Oh, my God, Lily. THEY DIDN'T ASSIGN HER A ROOM AND NO ONE'S SEEN HER SINCE WE LEFT THE STREET!" Petunia cried.

"I'm sure she's around here somewhere. Wheeling around in her wheelchair, maybe?" I said.

"No! Don't you get it?" Petunia yelled, sobs cutting her words in half.

"Get what?" I asked.

Then another doctor came into the room. "Hello girls. My name is Dr. Leonard Green. I have some news for you," he said with a somber face. Petunia started crying. "Your mother…she…"

"She what? Where is she?" I cried.

"She…Miss Evans, your mother didn't make it. We believe she died upon impact with the other vehicle."

Petunia started sobbing harder. "THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT, LILY! I WOULD STILL HAVE PARENTS IF IT WEREN'T FOR YOU!"

"Now, Miss Evans, I'm sure that's not true. Your sister did not cause your mother to die," Dr. Green admonished.

"YES SHE DID! I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU KILLED OUR MOTHER!"

* * *

**Remus,**

**I need to take you up on that offer after all. I can't explain, but something terrible has happened. I'll be there as soon as possible. It may be tonight or it may be tomorrow. My owl, Berry, will stay with you once she gets there. I don't mean to impose, but I really have no idea how long I'll need to stay. Thank you so much for all of your help. You are such a good friend.**

**Lily

* * *

**

As I walked up to Remus Lupin's front door, I felt tears begin to run down my cheeks. I reprimanded myself for beginning to cry and I wiped the tears away. When I reached the oak door, I reached up and banged the knocker on the door as hard as I could. It was pitch black out, but that was only to be expected considering that it was around eleven o' clock at night. I would ordinarily be ashamed to be calling so late, but I knew Remus would understand.

I stepped back as he opened the door. "Hey Lily! I've been waiting for you. Come inside." I walked in through the doorway and set my bags down on the hardwood floor.

"Thank you so much for letting me stay here with you for a little while."

"Of course. I offered, and I meant what I said. Now would you mind telling me what's going on?"

I felt my eyes begin to water as I opened my mouth. "Um…I got in a car crash." Remus only looked the slightest bit confused. He knows what a car is because of Muggle Studies, of course, but I don't exactly know if he knows that a car crash is BAD.

"Um, don't mind my asking, but is that bad?"

"Yeah, it is. And as a result of this…um…"

"What happened?"

"My mum died. And my dad is in the hospital. He's not doing so well," I said, letting a few tears slip.

"Lily! I don't know what to say!" Remus said. He then held out his arms and pulled me to him. "It's okay. You can cry. I'm here."

Those words were so comforting. Remus knows me well enough to know that I don't cry. Crying is a sign of weakness, and if I am something, I am **not** weak. But I knew it was okay because I knew Remus knew how I felt. His father had died only two years before. So because I knew this, and because I really needed to, I cried.

I cried for two hours. Remus's shirt was soaked about twenty minutes in, so I collapsed on the bed he said was mine and cried into my pillow. Remus just sat in a chair to the side of my bed; he was watching me, and concern filled his eyes.

I must have cried myself to sleep at some point because the next thing I knew, my eyes flickered open and a woman was standing over me, a plate of cookies and a cup of hot tea in her hands. I quickly wiped my face of the tear lines and tried to smooth out my disheveled hair.

"Hello, dear. Remus has told me what happened, and I'd like to deliver my condolences. Of course, if you don't want those, I always have cookies and tea," Mrs. Lupin said.

"Thank you, Mrs. Lupin. Would you mind telling me how long I've been asleep?"

"Of course, dear. I'd say you've been asleep about nine hours. It's about ten o' clock in the morning."

"Have you been sitting here this whole time?" I asked. She nodded. "You shouldn't have! You need sleep, Mrs. Lupin," I said as I took a cookie off of the plate and a sip of the tea. It was Earl Grey, my favorite.

"No, dear, I am not the one who needs sleep. You need more sleep and some time to heal. Besides, it was a good opportunity for me to catch up on my reading. You can stay here as long as you wish. Now go back to sleep. When you're ready, come downstairs to the kitchen and I'll prepare some breakfast for you."

"Thank you so much. I don't know what I'd do without you and Remus."

"You're quite welcome, Lily," Mrs. Lupin said as she placed the plate of cookies on my bedside table. She exited the room quietly.

I took another sip of my tea and contemplated my next move. The funeral was planned for the next weekend, and I knew I had to be home for that. I couldn't ask Remus to come with me, I knew, so I would have to make the journey alone. I felt a tear slip from my eye as I envisioned my mother's body enclosed in a wooden casket. I set the tea aside just in time, for if I had held it any longer, the vibrations from my trembling hands would have broken the beautiful china.

As tears filled my eyes, I knew there was really only one thing I needed to do before I shut myself up in this room in the Remus's house. I got out of bed and even though it was around seventy degrees outside, a bit of chilly wind hit me like a ton of bricks and goose bumps prickled over my skin. I went over to the mirror. My hair was all over the place and the tiny bumps on my skin were visible. "You look like a chicken, Lily," I said to myself out loud. Saying that, I couldn't help but feel like one as well. The fact that I hadn't gone to do this before made me feel like a coward.

Thus, I dressed, combed my hair, ask breakfast, took my pill, and then told Remus and his mother I would be back in a couple of hours, and headed out on Remus's broom for the hospital where my father was staying.

As soon as I got there, I bypassed the receptionist and went up to the room where my father had been the day before. Petunia was nowhere to be seen and my father was still sleeping, his chest rising and falling with every intake of breath. I sat at his bedside and held his hand, willing him to wake up so I could talk to him. Apparently, I didn't will hard enough because nothing happened, so I just sat there, holding his hand, for half an hour until his eyes fluttered open.

"Lily!" he said as he tried to sit up. "Where have you been? I would imagine that Pet's been worried sick about you!"

"I doubt that, Dad. So I'm guessing you heard the…news?"

Tears filled my father's eyes. I took that as a yes, but before I could say anything more, he opened his mouth to speak. "Lily, I know we're in mourning right now, but I believe that your mother would have wanted nothing more than for you to keep living your life. She just wants you to be happy. You can't go around wallowing in your sorrow the rest of the summer."

"I can't just get over it, Dad! MY MOTHER, _YOUR WIFE_, DIED!"

My father became stern. "I am well aware of that, Lily Marie. I know for a fact that your mother wouldn't want you to mourn her like this. And she wouldn't want you to believe she was the cause of her death either. It was an accident." When he said that, I began to cry more silent tears. "Lily, honey, you need to move on with your life. In a little less than a month, you're going back to school and you're going to be running the entire student body. They will need a strong leader, and this experience should only make you stronger. You cannot show weakness in front of them, for they will lose all respect for you."

"But if I tell them my mum just died, they'll understand, won't they?"

"Yes, they will, but I DO NOT want you using that as an excuse for being a weak leader. Now, I've been reading that Wizarding newspaper that you get every morning and there have been more and more mentions of this Lord Voldemort person. He's a tyrant, Lily. He goes around killing people of your kind just for fun. In times like these, your classmates are going to need strong leaders, not leaders that are wrought with emotional pain."

"I know."

"Then why haven't you done anything about it? I'm not saying that you need to get over this in one day, darling, but you do need to work through it as best you can before the school year starts. You need to get back on your feet, go back to work, talk to your friends. Speaking of friends, where are you staying, since you're obviously not staying at home with Petunia?"

"I'm staying at my friend Remus's house."

"Yes, I remember him. He's one of the boys that came to visit you last summer, correct?" my father asked.

This brought back so many memories. Last summer, the Marauders had paid a visit to my house. The four of them met my parents and we had a nice little chat. It wasn't really that bad. They were all very charming, especially James and Sirius, and my mother was smitten with them immediately. She had asked me several times whether or not they would be coming back anytime soon, and when I told her how much I hated James Potter, she just couldn't understand why. I tried to explain the pranks to her and how they were very mean boys; she just said that it was all in good fun. When I told her how annoying he was and how he kept asking me out, she said I should just give him a chance. "Fat chance," I had said.

Remembering this, I began sobbing violently. "Lily, dear, it's okay. It will all be okay," Dad said.

"But how can you know that? How can you know for sure that it will all be alright?"

"I just know. When my parents died, I was wrought with shock and denial, but I accepted it. Look at me, now, Lilykins. I'm fine."

I cried more. My father just patted my head and smoothed my hair. I sat there and cried for an hour and when I was done, I looked up to see tears streaming down his face as well. We hugged each other and he said, "Lily, I want you to promise me something."

"Anything."

"Whatever you do, wherever you go, I want you to promise that you will put this all behind you. I don't want you to forget your mother in any way, I just want you to remember all of the good times you had with her. Remember her laugh, her smile. I want you to be a good leader for your classmates, and I want you to promise to try and do everything in your power to protect them, your friends, and the people you love."

"I promise," I said without any hesitation whatsoever. We sat in silence for a while before the nurse came in and said that visiting hours were over and I needed to leave.

I flew back to Remus's house, trying to make myself invisible by going over trees, and went to eat lunch with him and Mrs. Lupin.


	4. Back To Work

_**If You Give a Boy a Lily**_

**Chapter Four: Back to Work**

I ended up staying with the Lupins for four days before I finally went back to Diagon Alley with Remus.

"Don't you think you ought to go home first?" Remus asked me while I was sitting with him in Fortescue's.

"What? Are you trying to put me out or something?" I asked with a hint of playfulness in my voice.

"No! No! I was just thinking that maybe your sister--"

I cut him off. "Remus, Petunia could care less about where I am right now. She'd probably be happier if I disappeared from her life forever. And as for my dad, you know he's still in the hospital. I visit him everyday!"

"Yeah, I know. But doesn't he want you to go see Petunia? Maybe Petunia needs you. I'm pretty sure you don't need reminding Lily, but your mum DID just pass away. Don't you think Petunia might need you now more than she ever needed you before?"

I thought for a moment. Maybe Remus was right. I was finally getting off of my arse and going back to work. Maybe it was time to go home too. Or at least go visit Madison. Her punishment wasn't quite up yet, but I was sure that Mrs. Gilbert would let me in. She's never really that strict with Maddie.

"Okay. Maybe I will go home tonight. Well, I won't be hanging out at your house anymore, no offense. I don't know how much more of Peter I can take. That boy eats like an animal."

Peter, James, and Sirius had been coming over to Remus's house everyday since I'd gotten there. James had learned to stop pestering me but I was forced to eat with them and just watching Peter (and Sirius, though he wasn't nearly as bad) eat made me sick to my stomach. I honestly understand why he's only had about two girlfriends in his life. He's not exactly **unattractive** but he's not the cutest kid, either. It's just…his mouth. How could anyone stand KISSING that thing? Just thinking about it makes me want to toss my cookies.

"Whatever makes you happy, Lils. I can't exactly tell you how the rest of the Marauders will feel. Wait, yes I can. I doubt Peter will care much, Sirius will be sad about not being able to see you daily at my house but then he'll get distracted by a girl or something shiny, and James will be somewhat devastated."

"It's nice to know I'm loved, Remy."

"Don't call me Remy. And you know, James has been trying really hard to change for you. He looks at this little list just about every day. I nicked it out of his pocket about a week before you came and you know what it was?" he said in between bites.

"I think I might have a sneaking suspicion."

"It was a LIST, Lily. A list entitled, _'Things Lily Hates About Me.'_ I looked it over and he's been trying to change every single one of them. For YOU. Don't you feel at least a little bad that you won't go out with him after he's been doing all of this for you?"

I thought about it a minute and licked my ice cream cone. "Remus, it's sweet that he's doing that but I'll have to see it to believe it. And I don't want him to change so I'll go out with him and then if I say yes have him revert back to his old ways."

"I doubt he'll do that, but I understand your point."

By then we had finished our delicious frosty desserts and I deemed it time to get back to work. I said goodbye to Remus and made my way down the street to the coffee shop. As soon as I entered, I saw Lucas wrestling with the cappuccino machine and I knew everything would go back to normal.

Lucas had yet to figure out that Mum had died and I'd rather he stayed in the dark. I don't want him feeling as though he's treading on thin ice around me all the time. I just want him to be normal, even if normal means asking me out all of the time. For the last four days he just thought I was out sick, which in a way, I was.

"Hey Luke. How was your lunch break?"

"Lunch break? How on earth could I possibly have a lunch break when I have to stay here and make sure this thing doesn't explode?"

"How tragic. Lukie didn't get his muffin today, I presume?"

"No, I did not. And now I'm a total crab. If I say something really jerky, just hit me." I looked at him skeptically. "No, Lils. I'm serious."

"If you say so," I agreed. I put my green apron on and went behind the counter to start setting up the cookie plate and the croissant display.

Fifteen minutes later, Lucas turned the sign over from "Closed" to "Open." Business was slow for the first few hours and I ended up making a total of about four coffees all day long, three of which were for Mr. Thorsby.

Around four, the third customer since lunch came in. "Can I have a Honey Vanilla Latte please?" she asked.

"For here or to go?" I asked.

"Here," she answered. "And I'd also like a mulberry muffin."

"Or course. Six sickles, please."

The woman paid and Lucas gave her the coffee. No sooner as she had taken it, the door to the shop opened again. It was James Potter and, surprisingly enough, he was alone.

"Can I help you?" I asked.

"Um…yeah. Can I have one of those oatmeal cookies?" he asked. I handed it to him.

"So where's the rest of your posse? No Sirius, no Peter, no girls? That's not like you, Potter." He flinched when I said that, perhaps because of the disbelieving tone or perhaps because of the use of his surname.

"Yeah. I decided to come alone. It's not like I have to have people with me everywhere I go."

"Some people would beg to differ."

He chose to ignore that. "So I hear you're leaving Remus's tonight."

"You heard right," I answered.

"Where will you be going?"

"Home…Maddie's…I don't know exactly. I'm just tired of imposing upon Mrs. L and Remus thinks Petunia might need me to be there for her, but I don't know if he's right or not."

That was where Lucas interjected. "Why would Pet need you to be there for her?"

"Were you eavesdropping on my conversation?" I asked him.

"…Yeah. Sorry." I hit him over the head. "OW! That's hurt Lily! When I said you could hit me, I didn't mean hard. I thought you would give me one of those wimpy girl hits!"

I hit him again. "SHIT, Lil! Okay, I deserved that one. So why would your sister need you to be there for her?"

"What, are you stupid?" James asked. "Lily's mum just--"

I interrupted him. "--She just got sick. She caught my cold. You know, the one I was just out with? Yeah. Mum caught my cold and now she's stuck in bed, sniffling up a storm. It's all very emotionally wearing on Petunia. She probably needs me to take over tissue duty or something."

James shot me a look as if to say, _"What the fuck? Your mum's DEAD. She can't catch colds!"_ But I shot him one right back as if to say, _"Shut up! He doesn't know!"_

"Oh." Lucas said. "That's…weird."

"Yeah. I know." I said and then turned to James. "Can I get you anything else?"

"Not right now," he replied. "You know, if things get to unbearable at home and you don't feel like going back to Remus's, you can always come to my house for a while. My mum won't mind."

"Thanks for the offer, but I highly doubt I'll be taking you up on that."

"Just thought it was worth a try. But I was serious, you know."

"I know."

James gave me a galleon, which was way more than that single cookie was worth, said, "Keep the change," and turned his back on me to walk out the door.

"Thanks!" I yelled after him.

"No problem," he yelled back.

* * *

After I got off of work and said goodbye to Lucas and Remus, I went to the Leaky Cauldron and hailed a taxi to go home. As soon as I got there and opened the door, I heard a screech and a dark figure came flailing at me with what looked like a bat.

"Petunia! It's me! It's Lily! Get that thing away from me, damn it!"

"Lily?"

"Yes?"

"Is it really you?"

"What do you think, Petunia?"

"Well, I can't exactly tell. It's very dark in here, you know."

"Well turn on the lights, dimwit."

"I can't find the switch!"

I reached over to the wall and flicked the lights on. "Better now?"

"Much. God, I was so tired of living in the dark."

"So you mean to tell you you've been sitting here in the dark for SIX DAYS?"

"Really? I thought it was only five."

"Pet, you need help. Professional help. Have you at least eaten?"

"Yeah, pretty much everything in the house. We're out of bread, chips, oranges, cookies, oatmeal, breakfast cereal, and loads of other stuff."

"Okay, I'm going to go look in the kitchen for what we need and then I'll go to the shops, okay?"

I didn't even wait for an answer and immediately went to the kitchen to inspect the cabinets. Petunia was right. We have almost no food left.

I made a list and went to the stores in search of groceries.

Later, I stumbled into the house with my arms full of paper bags. I set them down on the counter and went to go find Petunia. I checked the living room, her room, the bathroom, the basement, outdoors, my room, my parent's room, and even the closet below the stairs.

Petunia was nowhere to be found.

I looked all over and finally found a note from her stuck under a cup of tea in the upstairs bathroom.

**Lily,**

**I know you went out for food, but while you were gone, Vernon came over and asked me to go on holiday with him for a few days. I'll be gone for a week. I have my keys with me so you can feel free to leave the house. Just don't bring any of your freak friends here. If you do, trust me, I'll know.**

**Petunia**

"That's just great," I sighed. "Well, I guess I'm off to Maddie's." I went upstairs and filled a bag with everything I'd need for a few days and took a taxi back to the Leaky Cauldron where I flooed to Maddie's house.


End file.
